Say It With Flowers
by tvaddict23
Summary: Fluffy B&B goodness. New chapter 15.06 COMPLETE!
1. PROLOGUE

Takes place after Santa in the Slush but before the Verdict in the Story.

Thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise. I really couldn't have written this story without her.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al. Me, I'm just making them my puppets for a while. Please read and enjoy. Reviews are eagerly awaited. Please no flames.

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**SAY IT WITH FLOWERS**

**PROLOGUE**

Seeley Booth was tired of ignoring his feelings for his favourite forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. It was an attraction that at the start had been relatively easy to ignore. She had so many idiosyncrasies and was so brash and had a self-confidence that made her seem utterly arrogant.

As the months and years passed, those things had become endearing to him rather than irritating. Her confidence was well deserved; she was the smartest person he knew, and despite first impressions, she didn't flaunt it in the least. In fact, her often misquoted sayings and comments of 'I don't know what that means' sometimes made him wonder at how a genius and best-selling author could be so obtuse about everyday things.

All that aside, four years later, Booth's feelings had grown exponentially. His stupid 'crossing the line' speech was now biting him in the ass but good. Now he sat at his desk trying to think of a way to let her know how much she meant to him, and how much more he would like with her.

Shoving himself away from his desk he stood and grabbed his jacket. He was a man of action, dammit!

~~ BONES ~~

A block or so from the diner was a florist that he passed on a regular basis; he headed that way now. As he entered the store, a dark head popped up from behind the counter at the sound of the bell.

"Good-morning, young man. How are you this morning?" Her smile lit her entire face.

Booth returned the smile. "I'm fine, ma'am. Thank you."

"Maggie, please call me Maggie." She came out from behind the counter. "What can I help you with today?"

Booth grinned. "Well Maggie, I need to tell the woman I love how much she means to me," he said rather hesitantly.

Showing him to the cooler with dozens of roses in just as many hues she said, "Roses always say it the best. A dozen long stem red roses will definitely let her know you love her."

Booth shook his head. "That's a little heavy-handed. I prefer something that will challenge her intelligence and let her know how special I think she is."

"So you want the subtle approach?"

"Exactly. Can you help?"

Maggie returned to the counter and pulled a book from a small pile. "This is a list of the meanings of flowers. May I suggest that you send her a bouquet a day expressing how you feel?"

Booth took the book and flicked through the pages. A grin spread across his face. "Yeah, this is exactly what I want."

He spent the next half an hour with a pen and paper, leafing through the pages. Finally he chose seven flowers that expressed his feelings exactly, and the order in which he wanted them sent.

Maggie smiled at him. "What sentiment do you want sent with the flowers?"

Grinning, he said, "Just the first one. She should be able to figure out the rest for herself. Make the Azalea a variation of her name; 'MODERATION'. Her name's Temperance."

Chuckling, the woman put down the order for the week. She was touched at how much effort this man put into his selection. She looked at the delivery name and address. "Temperance Brennan, you are one lucky lady."


	2. CHAPTER 1: AZALEA

These characters still belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

As always, a big thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise.

Thanks also to those who reviewed. It always means a lot to know that the readers out there are enjoying what I've written.

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**CHAPTER 1: AZALEA** – _Take Care of Yourself for Me, __**Temperance**__ (__**moderation**__), Fragile Passion, Chinese Symbol of Womanhood_

Dr. Temperance Brennan walked into her office. It had been a long Monday and the case they were working on looked like it would be another one that would leave them drained. A small skeleton had been found in a forested area. It was up to them to find out who it was, where it'd come from, how it got there and how it'd died.

Throwing the file on to her desk she nearly toppled a vase of flowers. The predominantly pink bouquet now caught her attention. Sitting down, she pulled the vase toward her. A small white envelope peeked out from among the bright petals. Plucking it from the flowers, she opened the envelope and took out the card. In a beautiful calligraphy hand was the word 'MODERATION'.

Just out of her line of sight, Booth stood and watched her as she read the single word. Her confused look appeared. Booth enjoyed that look. It was the one that caused an upside-down 'v' to form between her eyebrows.

Maggie had assured him that the flowers she would be sending were of the scented variety. Booth smiled as, despite her confusion, Temperance buried her nose into the bouquet and inhaled deeply.

Swallowing his smile, he made his way to her office. "Hey, Bones!"

She looked up, the smile still on her face. "Booth! Hi!"

Pointing to the bouquet, he said, "Secret admirer?"

"I guess," she said. "No name on the card, just the word 'moderation'."

"That's weird," he replied entering her office proper. "Where's the card?"

She searched her desktop a moment before handing him the card.

"'Moderation'. What do you think it means?" he asked, handing the card back to her.

"Moderation means temperance. My name. So I guess they're definitely for me, but there's no way to know who sent them. Then again, there are a lot of admirers out there who know I work here. It's probably just a show of appreciation from a fan."

"Might be at that. Come on, Bones, we've got a lead on who that skeleton might have belonged to."

"It was of a child," Brennan said. "Male around six to eight years old." She sighed as she inhaled the scent of the flowers once more before picking up her coat and following her partner out into the harsh daylight.

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	3. CHAPTER 2: AGAPANTHUS

As always, thanks again to my beta MoonlightGardenias for her great work, encouragement and advise.

These characters still belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

**http:// www. easy flowers. com. au/ asp #type** - is the website (without spaces) that I used as my reference. Other places in the world have slightly different meanings, but this is was where my meanings came from.

Oh, and a huge thanks for those who left reviews, put my story on their 'favourites' list, listed me as a 'favourite author' (wow honoured). It's so much appreciated, and I hope I don't disappoint.

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**CHAPTER 2: AGAPANTHUS** – _Secret Love_

Tuesday dawned grey and wet, which matched Brennan's mood. Cases involving children bothered her more than she ever let anyone know. She prided herself on her ability to compartmentalise but it took time to get into the zone and today's weather was definitely affecting her ability to get her head into the right place.

A knock on her door bought her out of her momentary reverie. "It's open," she called out, knowing it was Booth coming to pick her up as they were going to interview a suspect first thing.

"Hey, Bones," came Booth's cheerful greeting.

"Morning, Booth," she replied with a heavy tone.

He sat next to her. "What's wrong?"

Shrugging slightly, she answered, "I hate these cases."

Putting his arm around her, he drew her to his side. "I know. So do I. But we'll get 'em. I promise." Giving her a quick squeeze, he got up and pulled her up after him. "Come on, let's get this started."

~~ BONES ~~

Hours later they were back at the Jeffersonian. The father, their main suspect turned out to have an alibi that cleared him for time of death.

Bones headed straight for the forensic platform to find out what, if anything, her squints had found out. "Zack! What are the bones telling you?"

"Nothing, Dr. Brennan. They can't talk," Zack replied in confusion.

Bones sighed. She really should have known that Zack would have taken her literally. "I know Zack, but what has the examination shown, if anything?"

A slight smile crossed Zack's face. "Oh. Well, when I examined the bones under a magnification of one hundred and twenty percent, it showed an osteological change congruent with freezing."

Brennan frowned. "Before or after death?"

"I wouldn't like to speculate on that question."

"I know, Zack. Thank you." She took a quick look at the sample of bone he had under the microscope and saw that the answer indeed was not evident. With a sigh, she left the platform and went to her office.

A knock on the door moments later made her look up. "Excuse me, Dr. B., but you got this delivery earlier while you were out."

Hodgins handed her a bouquet of beautiful delicate purple and blue trumpet-like flowers.

Taking the flowers from him, she checked to see if there were any cards or notes.

"Who are they from?" she asked.

Hodgins shrugged. "Don't know. Delivery guy just said they were for you. _Agapanthus africanus _orAfrican lily. It has a meaning too. Secret love."

Brennan looked up at him. "What?"

"Well, most flowers have meanings that have been handed down through the ages, from Greek and Roman mythology through the Middle Ages and Victorian era. Although there are variations, the Agapanthus generally mean 'secret love'," he finished.

Smiling a little, Brennan asked, "How do you know that?"

Hodgins coughed a little as if embarrassed. "Besides the degree in Botany, I've also dated a few florists…so I found out a little about that kind of stuff," he finished lamely.

Spying the bouquet from the previous day on her desk, he pointed and said, "Temperance."

Bones nodded. "Yeah, that had a note with it that said, 'moderation'. Which translated to temperance. I wonder who sent them?"

"Oooh, looks like you have a secret admirer, Dr. B.," Hodgins said with a smile as he left her with the bouquet and a confused and slightly worried look on her face.

_Who the hell was sending her these flowers?_

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_As cliché as this sounds, reviews make my day. So if you wouldn't mind…_


	4. CHAPTER 3: THORNLESS ROSE

As always many thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

Please read and enjoy. Reviews are eargerly awaited. Please no flames.

And again a BIG **THANK YOU **to all those who did take the time to review.

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**CHAPTER 3: THORNLESS ROSE **– _Love at First Sight_

Booth walked in at that moment. "Hey, Bones! Whoa, another bunch of flowers. What's the note say?"

"There is no note," Brennan said in a huffy tone. "Hodgins said that flowers have meaning. Apparently the Agapanthus means 'secret love'."

Feigning innocence, Booth said, "Wow, really? So, so far you've gotten one bunch that means 'temperance' which is also your name and another that signifies a 'secret love'?"

Bones glared at him. "I know what I've gotten, Booth. I want to know who the hell's sending them to me."

Moving to her side, he said in a low voice, "Don't worry about it, Bones. We'll keep an eye on things and, if it goes any further, we'll look into finding out who's behind it. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, though."

He gave her a small hug.

"I know, but this case…who would freeze a child then discard them like so much garbage?" she asked returning the hug.

"We'll get 'em, Temperance. I promise."

He felt her stiffen at the use of her name and was worried he had overstepped the line, but she relaxed again almost immediately.

"Thanks, Booth," came the muffled reply.

~~ BONES ~~

The story Frank Pearse the father of the boy whose skeleton they had found, told them at the time of their interview had made sense but, with Zack's discovery his alibi no longer fit the timeline.

Further investigation upon their return proved that the father was the most likely perpetrator. They would again have to interview the man.

~~ BONES ~~

The F.B.I. interrogation room was quiet. Booth entered and slapped the photos of the skeleton of his son onto the table. "That's all that's left."

Their suspect looked at the pictures with disinterest. "Left of what?"

"Ben. Your son," Booth spat.

"You can't prove that."

"Actually we can. See these marks?" Booth asked pointing at an irregularity in one of the leg bones. "And that?" pointing to similar marks in an arm bone. "These are where the bones have healed after being broken. Medical records show that Ben was bought to the emergency room with breaks in these exact areas. Also the dental records, such as they are, match."

"His mother must have done it," the man replied sullenly.

Booth shook is head. "Nope, we checked. You haven't let her see him since she left. The only person who could have killed Ben is YOU!"

"I'm not saying anything else without a lawyer present."

That ended all conversation and Booth left the interview room to join Brennan in the viewing room.

Brennan's eyes flashed. "He did it."

Booth took a step closer to her. "I know, but we need evidence of it or it's all circumstantial. We can't even arrest him."

Temperance stormed out of the room and burst into the interview room. Facing the suspect she spoke in a low extremely venomous voice, "I don't know how you did it, and I can't even pretend to comprehend why, but I _will_ find out."

Chills went down Booths spine. He'd never heard that tone in her voice and it was startling. He followed her from the room and almost bumped into her storming from the interview room.

"Bones!…Brennan!…" He ran after as she stalked to the elevator.

"Tempe!"

She finally stopped just short of the doors and hung her head. "I can't do this one, Booth. We've gone over the remains dozens of times and catalogued the insect activity. There are no anomalous particulates. We have nothing!" Then she added helplessly, "He's gonna get away with it."

"Come on. It's been a long day. I'll take you home, we'll have some take-out and you can start with a fresh mind tomorrow."

Stepping into the elevator car, Bones shook her head. "I'm going back to the lab. There _has_ to be something I've missed. You can hold him for twenty-four hours right?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah."

"Well then that's what we've got and I'm not going to waste it," she said as they left the building and headed toward the Jeffersonian.

~~ BONES ~~

True to her word, Bones didn't stop working, not even when Booth brought her Thai take-away. At eight-thirty the following morning, there was another interruption in the form of a flower delivery. This time it was a bunch of thornless roses in various pastel colours and a pleasingly sweet scent.

"Where are these from?" she asked as she signed the delivery slip.

"Flowered Up. Not far from here. Enjoy your day, ma'am," he finished before leaving.

Brennan held the bouquet to her nose and inhaled deeply as she made her way to her office, snagging a beaker on the way to fill with water and put the new bouquet in.

Arranging them alongside her previous gifts she booted up her computer and typed in 'flower meanings'. A list of sites came up and she opened the first one. Scrolling down she looked at the meaning for the thornless rose. '_**Thornless Rose**_– _love at first sight'_.

She sat back. Whoever was sending her these flowers was definitely trying to let her know she meant a lot to them. Before the end of the day she would go to 'Flowered Up' and find out who was sending her the flowers.

Booth stood at the door to her office watching her as she stared at the computer screen. The flowers for the day sat on her desk next to the previous deliveries. She looked so tired and despondant that all he wanted to do was take her into his arms and soothe away her worries.

Knocking lightly he cleared his throat. Bones looked up. "Hey, Booth."

"Morning, Bones. Find anything?" he asked, moving into her office and sitting on the sofa.

With a heavy sigh she replied, "Nope. There's nothing to indicate that the father did it."

"Well, there's news on that count. This morning at around four, our suspect was found dead in his cell. It seems like suicide."

Brennan moved around from her desk. "That's good news, I guess. Although I would've liked to have prosecuted him, but he's better out of this world."

"Yeah, I guess." The law enforcement officer in him cried out for a more tangible form of justice. Death seemed too neat, an easy out for someone who should have been made accountable for his actions.

Shaking off those thoughts he pointed to her desk. "Another bunch of flowers I see."

"Yeah. I've already looked up their meaning. The thornless rose means 'love at first sight'."

"Sounds like someone has it bad for you."

Sitting herself next to him she leaned her head back. "I just hope it's not a stalker. I'm going to the florist later today to see if I can find out who's sending them."

"You should get some sleep Bones, you look beat. Case is over."

With closed eyes she answered, "I am, but I have to arrange burial for that little boy first."

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Before anyone writes that Brennan would've/should've figured it out by now, may I remind you all that she's almost clueless when it comes to real life. Yes she's a genius – in her chosen field – not in everyday life. That's my rationale for this story, _please _just suspend all disbelief and enjoy the story.


	5. CHAPTER 4: RED CARNATION

Another big thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al. Please read and enjoy. Reviews are eagerly awaited. Please no flames.

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**CHAPTER 4: RED CARNATION** – _My Heart Aches For You, Admiration_

Brennan spent the next hour on the phone arranging the young boy's burial just as she'd promised, and Booth stayed by her side the entire time. It was when she got up to get the flowers arranged for the funeral that he made a move to stop her.

"I'm going to the florist to arrange the funeral flowers," Brennan announced pulling on her coat.

Booth jumped up. "Umm, how about you go home and I'll take care of it for you?"

She gave him a sceptical look. "I am still capable of going to the florist. I've worked on less sleep than this before."

"Yeah, but why should you have to now when I'm offering for you?" he asked putting his arm around her as they left together.

"But what about those flowers that keep being sent? I mean it's giving me the jeebie-heebies."

"That's heebie-jeebies, Bones," he said with a laugh. "Listen, let me be the 'alpha male' okay? I'll order the flowers for the funeral and find out what's going on with those deliveries. Alright?" he asked as they settled in the car.

"But it's on the way, Booth. It makes more sense to go around there now and sort it out rather than you dropping me off at home then having to back-track and waste time and fuel…"

He cut her off, "Alright already, we're stopping off at the florist."

"Thank you," she answered with a smile.

~~ BONES ~~

As they entered the shop, Booth headed straight for the sales lady, while telling Brennan to go look at some of the arrangements to see what she would like for the funeral.

"Hi," he said in a low voice.

"Hello, what can I do for you? Is your secret love enjoying her flowers?" Maggie asked enthusiastically as she remembered Booth's face.

"Actually, she's getting rather paranoid about having a stalker. It's kind of happened before, and now she gets a little sensitive about it." He looked around to find Bones still looking at arrangements.

"Do you want to cancel the rest of the order?" she asked.

Booth shook his head. "I'd rather not. Is there anything else you can suggest?"

"Do you want to stick with what you've been doing and say it with a flower?"

He nodded as Bones neared. "Hello, I'm hoping you can do a funeral arrangement," Bones said coming up to the counter.

"Just let me get the book, and you can choose what you want."

"Actually, if you could do that arrangement," she said pointing to a lovely mixture of roses, carnations and lilies, sprinkled liberally with baby's breath and various greenery.

"That should be no problem at all. Would you like it in the pure white or would you like some muted colours in it?"

Bones thought for a moment. "Put a little colour into it."

"May I ask who it's for?"

Booth cleared his throat and spoke for her. "She's providing the funeral for a murdered boy. His father killed himself this morning while in custody."

Maggie looked at Temperance then at Booth. "That's a very sweet thing to do."

Brennan shook her head. "It's the least I could do, actually."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Booth said, "Go wait in the car. I'll finish everything up here."

Opening her mouth to argue she was stopped by Booth's raised hand. "I will ask about who's sending you the flowers."

Not having the strength to debate it, Bones nodded her assent and headed out toward the car.

As soon as she left Maggie said, "That's one very special lady there, young man."

Booth nodded. "I know."

Bustling to the other end of the store she picked out a single sprig of delicate white flowers set among greyish leaves. "This is a sprig of white heather. It's the flower of protection. I believe you are her protector, yes?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Is there a note that you'd like me to put with it?"

"Yeah actually. I don't want to give away that I'm the one sending her the flowers, but if it puts her mind at rest that's okay. This message should let her know the flowers are from me. Please write. 'I will never betray you'. Oh, and please have tomorrow's bouquet sent to her address." Jotting down Brennan's address he slid it across the counter as Maggie wrote the message in her beautiful flowing hand.

"How much will all that be?"

Maggie looked at him and through the door at Brennan who was seated in the car, head against the window. "Tell you what, I'll let you have it at cost. I'm a sucker for romance."

Booth looked surprised. "Wow, thank you."

Maggie nodded. "You just look after that lady of yours."

Nodding Booth answered, "I intend to."

~~ BONES ~~

The Thai dinner that she'd missed the previous evening Booth ordered again. They waited in silence and ate quietly, while Booth watched as Bones tried not fall asleep while eating.

Booth had kept the sprig of heather in his pocket, and as they finished their dinner and put the garbage in the bin, he removed it and held it out to Brennan. "Temperance, I got you this while we were at the florist."

Brennan took the small spray and read the note attached to it. "'I will never betray you.'" She looked up at him. "What does it stand for?" she asked looking at the sprig in her hand.

"It's white heather and it stands for protector." He cast his eyes down.

The light in Brennan's mind lit up. "The flowers are from you?"

Booth nodded.

"Temperance, Secret Love, Love at First Sight. Are you trying to tell me something, Booth?"

"Yeah. There're four more to go. It's the rest of the message."

Brennan filled a petite vase with water and place the spray of heather in it. "Then I shall look forward to tomorrow's message." She turned. "Thank you, Seeley. It's a beautiful gesture."

Clearing his throat he made his way to the door. "Yes well, I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well, Temperance."

~~ BONES ~~

The next morning Brennan rose from what had been a restless night. 'Temperance', 'Secret Love', 'Love at Fist Sight'. Booth felt these things for her, and he'd said there were four more flowers to come.

Drifting through her morning ritual, she thought of little else other than those three bouquets of flowers and that one sprig of heather. Her reverie was broken with a knock on the door. _'Booth.' _She looked through the spyhole to see a courier.

Opening the door, the courier handed her a bunch of carnations so red they were almost the colour of arterial blood. Signing the consignment note, she took the flowers and went back inside. Taking out a large crystal cut vase she filled it with water and placed the arrangement on the table.

Dragging out her notebook, she booted it up, then typed in 'red carnation meaning of'. The search engine came back with a list of sites. Opening the first one she scrolled down to 'C'. _'CARNATION (RED) - My Heart Aches For You, Admiration'_. Her heart began to stutter with the full extent of the realisation.

'Booth loved her.'

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**A/N **– Just a thank you to all those who have reviewed so far. Reviews really do mean so much. Also a thanks to those who put this story on their 'favourites' list, and again a humble thanks, to those who have placed me on their 'favourite author' list.


	6. CHAPTER 5: PRIMROSE

As always thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise. And for all those e-mails replied to regarding the last couple of episodes. This story would be nothing without her help.

I'd also like to thank my friend Dave, who even though he's not a fan of the show (his loss) has given me invaluable advise. Thanks again Dave.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al. Please read and enjoy. Reviews are eagerly awaited. Please no flames.

A/N – _BIG thanks to all the reviewers of the last chapter. You guys made my week! I hope the next chapter and those to follow meet with the same approval._

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**CHAPTER 5: PRIMROSE** – _I Can't Live Without You_

Angela was making herself a coffee when Brennan hustled her over to one side. "Ange, I've got to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" she asked becoming alarmed at the waves of urgency and anxiety that were coming off her best friend.

"Not here. In your office," she said leading Angela down the stairs to the artist's office.

As Angela shut the door, Brennan slumped into the comfortable sofa. Rushing to her side Angela asked, "You're starting to worry me, Bren."

Brennan sighed heavily. "Booth loves me."

"Yeah, I know. So does everyone else here, honey," Angela replied with a smile.

There was a slight hint of panic in her voice. "No, you don't understand. He's **in** love with me. He's the one that's been sending the flowers."

"Whoa, that definitely shows more than just a passing affection," Angela said sitting next to Brennan. "Sweetie, he's been in love with you for a long time. And I hate to tell you this, but you're in love with him too."

"Ange…"

"Don't deny it. This is again one of those times where I tell you what's going on even though you'll swear black and blue it's not true."

Brennan whispered, "No."

Angela put a hand on Brennan's. "Bren, look at the evidence."

Bones thought about the flowers. Each one having a specific meaning about how he felt about her. Then there were all the times over the past three years where he'd shown care beyond that of a friend and partner. Coming to her rescue even though he'd been blown up while protecting her. The little gifts he'd given her, like Jasper and Brainy Smurf. The countless take-out dinners and comfort when she'd discovered what had happened to her mother. The gift of the Christmas tree for her family, when she'd given her father and brother Christmas in jail. The incredible frisson of attraction – that they'd both ignored – when she'd kissed him under the mistletoe, and dozens of other small moments that added up to the undeniable fact that Booth was in love with her. More importantly, she realised the truth that she was indeed in love with him too.

Sighing heavily she got up. "You're right. Oh damn. What the hell am I going to do about it?"

"Tempe, what are you talking about? He's in **love** with you and you're in love with him. Where's the problem?"

Stopping at the door she looked back. "If we agree to pursue this, everything will change so much."

Angela also rose and put her arm around Brennan's shoulders. "You two have something so rare, something I'm jealous of because I'm pretty sure I'll never have it, not even with Jack," she added. She hugged Brennan tightly. "I know you'll make the right decision, just don't over think it okay?"

Smiling Brennan nodded. "I'll try not to."

She'd only taken a few steps when Angela called after her. "What were today's flowers?"

Brennan turned. "Red carnations."

"And they mean?"

Blushing slightly Brennan said, "My heart aches for you and admiration."

"Oh wow. I don't even know why you're questioning this. Not even Jack would've thought of something that romantic," Angela practically swooned.

"Uh-huh," Brennan replied. "Take it easy Ange."

Angela nodded as Brennan walked away. _'Sweetie, don't mess this up,'_ she thought turning back into her office.

~~ BONES ~~

Entering her office Brennan closed the door behind her. Looking toward her desk she knew there was a stack of paper work that needed doing, but the probability of actually getting much work done was pretty slim.

She picked up her phone and called Booth's number. After a few rings a strange voice answered his phone. "Agent Kingston, how can I help you?"

Surprised Brennan said, "Is this Agent Booth's number?"

"Yeah, he's out of town for a few days though. Can I help you?"

Temperance was stunned. "Ah no, thank you." Hanging up her phone she sat back in her chair. All those flowers, and he'd left town without letting her know right after confessing he was the one who sent the flowers. This was not a good start.

Her legendary ability to compartmentalise, which had been seriously tested lately, left her entirely. Something Cam had said a long time ago came to mind, _'Not everyone's brain works as fast as yours. I have to mull sometimes.' _She'd always known it was a waste of time.

Temperance had no idea how long she'd been 'mulling' over what to do when the beeping reminder of a waiting voice message on her cell, brought her out of her introspection. Calling up the message bank, she played the message, _'Hey Bones. I'm in Denver. Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk but I was called out here to go over some evidence from an old case and probably testify in court. I don't know when I'll get back but I'll give you a call later…'_ There was a long silence before he said, _'I love you, Temperance. Bye.'_

Punching in his number, she waited as his cell rang. "Bones! Hey, how are you?"

"You could have told me you were going out of town Booth. If we're going to have a relationship, we have to trust each other."

Booth heard the hurt in her voice and cringed. "Bones, I'm so sorry. I tried reaching you as soon as I found out, but your lines were busy, and before I got the chance to try again I was already three thousand feet in the air. Then I had to get into the evidence as soon as I landed. I left a message as soon as I got a spare minute. I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or shut you out."

Sighing heavily Brennan answered, "It's okay. It's been a rough week. The funeral's been arranged for the day after tomorrow. Will you be here?"

"I'll try, but I really don't know how long this is going to last."

"Okay. Thank you for the flowers, they're all beautiful." There was a defeated tone in her voice.

"Bones, it's not the flowers but the what they mean that I want you to notice."

"I know Booth, but I need time. I'll talk to you later." She disconnected the call and placed the receiver back in its cradle. This was getting more and more complicated by the second. How was she going to be able to sort out how she felt without him here?

Knowing time would pass faster if she worked, Brennan took the paper work that filled her desk and organised it into levels of importance then started working.

Thankfully her ability to compartmentalise returned. She managed to work the rest of the day and complete her paper work. Checking the time, she was surprised to see it was six p.m. She powered everything down and packed her bag to go home. It was going to be a long evening.

Moving through the now quiet Jeffersonian, she found herself in Limbo. Gathering one of the boxes of human remains, she took it to the examination table and started working.

~~ BONES ~~

Angela arrived early to finish a facial reconstruction and a few three dimensional archaeological representations for a Jeffersonian contract. Surprised to find a light on in Limbo, she looked inside to find her best friend working on a skeleton. There were at least a dozen completed files on the table.

"Bren?"

Brennan looked up from her examination of a skull. "Ange, what are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. It's six thirty in the morning. Have you been here all night?"

Looking at the stack of files Brennan shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Why? I thought you'd be with Booth."

At the look that crossed Brennan's face Angela held up her hand. "Talking, just talking about where you want to go next."

"He's gone," Brennan said flatly.

"Gone? Who's gone? Booth? Where?" Angela was stunned.

"He said he got called to Denver to check on some evidence and testify in a trial." Brennan had barely looked up since Angela had arrived.

"It's just a coincidence," Angela assured her.

Brennan stopped working. "Doesn't feel that way."

Angela hugged her. "Sweetie, trust me, it's just a very unfortunate coincidence. He's in love with you, remember? It's probably killing him that he has to be there. I bet he's trying to find any excuse to leave and being a pain in the ass about it too."

Brennan pulled away. "Yeah, I guess so," she replied with a small smile.

"You should go home, get a few hours sleep."

Looking around at the work she'd done Brennan nodded. "I guess I really should."

Packing away the remains and handing the completed files to Angela, Brennan picked up the bag she'd left at the door and headed out. Walking out the front door, she met a courier on the way in. He was carrying a bouquet of small blue flowers. Brennan stopped him. "Excuse me, are those for a Temperance Brennan?"

The young man nodded. "Yep. You her?"

Nodding Brennan signed the delivery slip and took the flowers. "Thank you. Have a nice day."

"Will do, Miss."

~~ BONES ~~

When she arrived home, she again booted up her notebook and logged on to find out the type and definition of the flowers. Typing in the search terms, she clicked on the first displayed web site and scrolled down to 'P'. _Primrose – I Can't Live Without You_.

'_Oh boy, as if things weren't already complicated enough.' _

_

* * *

_

A/N2 - _Thanks for reading folks. To make my day please leave a review.  
_


	7. CHAPTER 6: ARBUTUS

Thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise. Thanks also go to Dave.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

Thanks to all those who reviewed it always means so much.

Reviews are eagerly awaited and appreciated. Please no flames.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: ARBUTUS **– _Thee Only Do I Love_

The first thing she did was call Angela.

"Bren, honey. You should be sleeping."

Brennan sighed, "Did you know that primroses mean 'I can't live without you'?"

"He sent more flowers?" Angela's excitement came clearly through the line.

"Yes, and apparently there're two more to come." Tiredness laced Brennan's voice.

"Listen Sweetie, go to sleep. Things'll be much clearer when you're rested. I'd love to talk more, but I have to complete the reconstructions from those remains you identified last night in 'limbo'. Love you, Sweetie, talk later."

Before Brennan could protest or even answer, the line went dead. Sighing heavily, she moved into the kitchen and brewed herself a cup of chamomile tea laced with a heavy dose of honey. Moving into her bedroom, she placed the cup of tea on her bedside table and lay on the bed.

Looking at her bedside table her eyes fell on Jasper and Brainy Smurf. _'Damn,'_ she thought. _'When did this get so complicated?'_

She remembered what Booth had said after the death of Howard Epps; _'There's this line, and we can't cross it.'_ It had both relieved and crushed her at the same time. The status quo had held until that damn kiss under the mistletoe.

Closing her eyes, she fell asleep thinking about Booth, the mistletoe kiss, and the dozens of moments over the years that belied her denial of a deeper relationship.

Ringing made its way into her subconscious and dragged her away from her sleep. Glancing blearily at the clock on her bedside table, she saw only and hour had passed. Fumbling for the phone she answered, "Brennan."

"Hey, Bones. Sounds like I woke you."

Stifling a yawn Brennan said, "Yeah, you did. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to hear your voice. How come you're sleeping this time of the morning?"

Moving to a sitting position on the edge of the bed she answered, "I worked through the night."

"Oh, anything interesting?"

Brennan took a sip of her now cold tea. "No, time just happened to get away from me."

"Uh-huh."

There was a minute of almost uncomfortable silence before Brennan asked, "Are you going to be back the day after tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"That's when the funeral is." Feeling more awake, Brennan put the phone on speaker and started to undress.

"Oh right. I promise I'll try." She heard him take a deep breath before asking, "Did you like your flowers this morning?"

"Can we please not talk about that yet?" she pleaded getting into a robe. "I'm going to take a shower now. Please try to be here. It's important to me."

"I know Bones, I'll try. I'll talk to you later…I love you," he finished quietly before hanging up.

Bones listened to the beeping of the dead line before hanging up. She felt as though she was being pulled in two directions at once.

Setting the temperature of the water, she stepped under the spray. The warm water soothed away some of her tension, and also gave her the opportunity to 'mull' things over a little more.

Finally fresh and feeling better, Brennan decided to visit her father.

~~ BONES ~~

Max Brennan smiled widely when he saw his daughter in the visitation room. "Tempe!" he greeted as he hugged her.

"Hi Max," she answered pulling away.

Max hated that there were still moments when she increased her emotional distance from him. A slight look of sadness passed over his face as they sat down. "So what brings you to see you old man?" he asked lightly.

Brennan looked uncomfortable. "What do you think of Booth?"

With a confused look Max said, "Why are you asking?"

"No reason. Just want your opinion," she answered, hedging.

"Tempe, you're a lousy liar. Why do you care what I think of Booth? Are you sleeping with him?" he asked.

"Dad! No!" Sighing she decided to bite the bullet. "He's told me he loves me."

"Honey, that's fantastic!" he said the smile coming back to his face.

Bones looked at him confused. "What? Why? He's the one who put you in here, dad."

"He was only doing his job, and I can't fault him for that. He seems like a very good man, and if you don't mind my saying he's quite easy on the eyes."

His daughter turned an attractive shade of pink. "Dad! Seriously!"

Deciding to give his daughter a break he said, "Honey, I've seen the way he looks at you…" She opened her mouth to protest but he held up his hand to silence her. "…And the way you look at him. It's the way your mother and I used to look at each other. There's something there whether you want to admit it or not." He reached across the table and took her hand. "Don't waste a chance like this Tempe. He loves you, and if you love him, which I'm sure you do, don't let it slip away, or you'll regret it forever."

Bones rose from the table and made to leave, but turned back. "When did you know?" she asked, truly curious.

Smiling, Max answered. "When we were on the way to rescue him from Gallagher. The look of concern and panic on your face told me all I needed to know. Your depth of affection for him really shone through that day."

Brennan nodded as her father stood. She smiled. "Thanks dad. You've helped."

"Don't sound so surprised. Your old man isn't as obsolete as you want to believe."

Father and daughter embraced. "Love you, dad."

"I love you too, Tempe," he replied as they parted. "Tell him."

Nodding Brennan knocked on the window to notify the guard that she wanted to leave. "In time maybe. Thanks again dad."

Max watched his daughter leave, and a sense of melancholy washed over him. He'd missed so much in order to protect her, and she'd become so detached from her feelings and the real world. He could only blame himself. Turning to return to his cell, he hoped he'd pushed her firmly enough in the right direction.

~~ BONES ~~

Brennan strode into the Jeffersonian, and went straight to her office. Putting on her lab coat, she then made her way to 'limbo'. There was nothing else pending and with Booth away there were no FBI cases to work on either.

Minutes after taking a crate of remains to the examination table, Angela walked in. "There's no way you've had enough sleep."

Brennan looked up. "Couldn't sleep," she stated.

"Made your decision yet?"

"Nope," she replied without looking up. "I really need to concentrate on this. And you should probably be doing some of those reconstructions."

Angela narrowed her eyes, she hated it when Brennan pulled her dismissing shtick on her. "Okay sure. I'll talk to you later." _'When you're in a better mood,'_ she added to herself.

Brennan only barely noticed the intrusion and had no idea she'd been so dismissive. In a few moments she was totally buried in her work.

~~ BONES ~~

The remainder of the day passed quickly, and for a change Brennan went home at exactly six o'clock.

At seven there was a phone call that she let go to the answering machine because she knew it was Booth. "Hi, Bones. I should be done by lunch tomorrow, so I'll be home early evening. I'll see you then. Well, um, I'll see you then. Oh wait I already said that. Okay, so bye. I love you," he finished awkwardly.

"I love you too," Brennan whispered.

A restless night saw Brennan spending most of it on her sofa staring into the darkness. On occasion she would drift off, then dreams of Booth and flashes of the past three years with him, floated through her subconscious.

Morning found her even more tired than before. She dragged herself through her morning routine and headed for work. As she arrived, a courier caught her attention. He was carrying a large spray of dainty yellow and white flowers.

Stopping him she said, "I'll sign for them."

Looking at the name he said, "Looks like they were for you anyways. That's like the sixth day in a row. This guy's got it bad for you Miss…" He read her name. "…Brennan."

"Yes he does," she replied absently making her way to her office.

Having grabbed another beaker for her flowers she filled it with water arranged the flowers and placed it on her desk. Next she 'googled' flower meanings under images. It took her a while to find out what kind of flowers he'd sent her, and that the meaning of the arbutus flower was, 'thee only do I love'.

She picked up her phone and was poised to dial Booth's number before remembering the time difference. Placing the receiver back in its cradle, she sat back and sighed heavily.

She was terrified.


	8. CHAPTER 7: ROSE RED

Thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise. And to Dave for his invaluable advise.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

Please read, enjoy and review.

A/N - Early update – needed the review fix. :-)

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: ROSE (RED)** – _Love, I Love You_

"Hey, Bones."

Startled, she looked over to her office door to see the grinning form of Seeley Booth. She stood and rushed over to him, stopping short of hugging him. "Why are you here?"

He noticed the rigidity in her stance and the strained tone of her voice. "I said I was coming home today."

Brennan shook her head. "No, you said you were coming home _tonight_."

"Turns out I wasn't needed to testify. I thought I'd surprise you." He watched in dismay as she almost physically pulled away from him. Looking at the flowers on her desk, his eyes fell upon the newest looking blooms. "I see you've got today's flowers," he continued softly.

Brennan nodded. "Yes, thank you. They're beautiful. They all have been."

"Bones, are you okay?"

She started slightly at the question, then turned all business. "Sure, I'm okay. Why do you ask?"

He took a step closer to which she moved back behind her desk. "You seem kinda on edge."

Shaking her head in denial she answered, "You just startled me a little. I wasn't expecting to see you 'til later."

"Bones, look at me," he pleaded.

She raised her eyes to meet his.

"We need to talk," he said turning to close the door then taking a seat on her sofa.

Brennan neither moved nor spoke, just fixed her eyes on him. Booth cleared his throat. "I see that the gesture that was intended to be romantic backfired. I've made you uncomfortable and that was not my intention. Originally, I just wanted to get you a dozen red roses and just tell you that I love you. And I do…love you that is."

Bones finally rose and joined him on the sofa. "It's not so much that they made me uncomfortable, but once I knew they were from you, and the obvious message behind them…I've had to confront my feelings for you, too. And that's what's scared me."

He took her hand bridging the gap. "Bones, I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. You challenge me, you make me want to be a better man and most of all, you give me a level of comfort that I've never known before."

The cute inverted 'v' appeared between her brows. "I get the first two…mostly, but how do I give you comfort?"

"I'm comforted by your stability and rationale. You're virtually unflappable and you seem to put a trust in me that's as comforting as it is occasionally frightening."

Brennan uttered a small laugh. "You should've seen me while you were away. I was definitely being 'flappable'."

Booth laughed. "That's not even a word, Bones."

Scooting closer she leaned against him. "I know, but you know what I mean. Which is one of the things I love about you."

"Well, you've become much better at using colloquialisms, although I do miss your faux pas…wait, did you say that you loved me?"

Brennan smiled. "No, I said it was 'one of the things I loved about you'. But, I do love you."

Booth's smile matched his partners. "I'm so glad you said that. Listen, do you have anything you need to get done today?"

Remembering the amount of work she'd cleared in the time Booth had been away, Bones shook her head. "Nope, I'm all caught up. Why?"

"I think we should take the rest of the day to discuss things. Find out where we're both at. Maybe make some plans for next weekend," he added with a wink.

~~ BONES ~~

They spent the day at her apartment, talking well into the night.

As their conversation lulled, Booth stretched and yawned widely. "I should go home and get a few hours sleep." He grabbed his jacket.

Bones stopped him. "Stay."

"What?" a shocked Booth asked.

"Stay. You're too tired to drive."

Booth looked at the sofa. "Looks more comfortable than some of the places I've slept."

"Or…"

He looked at her eyebrow raised. "Or what? Oh wait, I forgot you have a spare room."

"No!" she said a little too quickly. "It's a mess in there. You can join me in my bed," she said.

The look on Booth's face was incredulous. "Did you just ask me to sleep with you?"

Bones shook her head. "No, I asked you to sleep in my bed."

Booth opened his mouth to protest, but Bones cut him off. "Look, I know you have problems with your back sometimes and the guest room really is a terrible mess. We're both too tired to do anything but sleep. Plus, I trust you."

Sighing heavily, Booth looked at the sofa then in the direction Bones had gone. With a shrug, he followed her.

Standing in the doorway of her room, he watched as she dug through one of her drawers. Finally pulling out out an over sized t-shirt and pair of track-suit bottoms, she threw them in his direction. "Those should fit. There's a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet. Don't worry, it's new."

Holding up the clothes he examined them. Brennan watched him. "They're clean," she assured him.

"Whose were they?" he asked. "It's just weird wearing another guy's duds, especially if you were sleeping together at the time."

Brennan looked at him a little exasperated. "What difference does it make?"

Booth opened his mouth to reply but Bones held up her hand to shush him. "They belonged to Russ. I bought them for him when he stayed a few nights."

"Oh, alright then." His mind at ease he headed off to the bathroom to change.

While Bones was changing she noticed her heart-rate had increased, and that she was feeling both anxious and excited. Examining them shortly, she recognised them as useless and tucked them into a handy 'compartment' to examine later before climbing into bed.

In the bathroom, Booth's heart-rate and anxiety level were also rising, as was another part of his anatomy. Pulling on the t-shirt and track pants he concentrated on reciting NHL and NBA statistics. After a few moments he felt more in control.

Sneaking back into the bedroom, he paused at the door and watched his Bones. A sleepy voice cut through the dark. "You just gonna stand there? Get to bed already."

Smiling Booth moved to the bed and climbed in. "G'night Bones."

There was a small grunt and a mumbled, "Uh-huh."

Moving as little as possible Booth lay on his side close to the edge. As much as his mind and heart were racing, it was only moments before he was asleep.

~~ BONES ~~

Waking slowly, Booth became aware of a warm body pressed up against him and a foreign arm flung across his chest. Looking over, his moment of disorientation cleared as he remembered what had happened mere hours earlier.

Carefully extracting himself from the arm, he left the bed for the shower.

Back in bed Brennan rolled over onto her back, having been woken by Booth's departure. Flinging aside the blanket she rose and put on her dressing gown before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Half an hour later Booth came into the kitchen. A cup of coffee was handed to him. "Thanks."

He stood close behind her as she finished the pancakes. Placing the coffee on the counter he snaked an arm around her waist. His other hand swept her hair to one side as he bent and began to lightly kiss her neck.

Leaning back into his solid form she moaned softly. "Booth. We have to get ready."

"Not yet Bones," he whispered into her ear as he sucked the lobe gently.

Brennan felt herself responding. It took all her will power to grab the hand that had snaked its way under her t-shirt and was moving up towards her aching breasts, and pull it away. Turning to face him as she did so, she said, "As much as I'd love to continue this and see it out to its conclusion, we really don't have time. I have some remains that I need to examine for an old college friend and I have the funeral at eleven."

Booth sighed. "Sure we can't come in a little late?" he asked with a smile.

"No, I wish we could though." She turned and handed him a plate of pancakes and his coffee, which he took to the table. Brennan followed with her own coffee and pancakes along with a bowl of fresh cut fruit.

Booth watched her for a few moments. Feeling his gaze on her she looked up. "What?"

"Nothing. Just…you're beautiful, you know that?"

Brennan blushed. "Yes well, you can thank genetics for that. I didn't have anything to do with it."

Booth grinned and rolled his eyes.

They sat in silence eating their breakfast. Finishing, took his dishes to the sink and rinsed them. Turning back to her he said, "I gotta get home and change into some fresh clothes. I'll pick you up for the funeral around ten thirty."

With that he left the apartment, leaving Brennan to finish her breakfast alone.

~~ BONES ~~

Arriving at her office at the late (for her) hour of nine a.m., Brennan went straight to her office to find a dozen red roses sitting on her desk. Stunned, she didn't notice Angela approaching, and jumped visibly when her friend said, "I've been waiting for you to get in for the last half hour!"

Approaching the bouquet, Brennan admired the lovely blooms. This was the last delivery, and Booth's message couldn't get clearer.

He was most certainly in love with her.

And despite many misgivings, she returned the feelings.

Brennan jumped again when she felt Angela's hand on her arm. "What the hell's going on Sweetie? You disappear all yesterday, you come in late this morning after barely going home the past week."

All this poured out of her friend's mouth as she dragged her to the couch and pulled her down with her. "Spill, girl. What's happened?"

Smiling Brennan answered, "Booth spent the night."

There was a short ear-shattering squeal as Angela hugged her best friend tight. "Oh, I'm so happy for you."

Pushing her away, Brennan smiled. "We didn't have sex. It was too late, we'd talked most of the day and we were both tired. He just slept in my bed."

Angela's eyes widened at the revelation. "Are you two dense or what? You're made for each other. What the hell kept you from spending today at home…in bed…having sex?"

"It's not just about sex, Ange. This may be the beginning of an actual…" She took a deep breath. "…relationship."

Angela's eyes widened further. "Whoa, that must've been some talk you had."

Brennan leant back and sighed. "It was."

"So what was said? Spill, Sweetie."

"Well, Booth said that he was tired of feeling these strong emotions and not doing anything about them, and that he's a man of action. So he wanted to just tell me with a bunch of flowers. When he was at the florist though, she mentioned the flowers having meanings, so he picked out what he wanted to convey with them and sent them."

"Uh-huh, and what did you say?" Angela asked riveted.

"You remember what you said before you and Hodgins got married? During the case with the chef that got murdered with the ceramic knife?"

Angela nodded.

Brennan continued. "Well, I realised that being with Booth was more than a moment of happiness. And I decided…'screw it', he's worth the risk. Because weighing up the chance of success or failure, I realised that it was worth the risk to fail, because I don't believe it will."

Angela studied her friend. "You've actually finally admitted to yourself that you're in love with him, haven't you?"

Brennan nodded with a shy smile and a blush on her cheeks.

"Wow!" She turned suddenly and embraced Brennan again. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered into her ear.

Returning the fierce hug, Brennan said, "I'm happy for me, too." _And still a little scared,_ she thought.

~~ BONES ~~

At exactly ten thirty, Booth strode into the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab. Swiping his card, he mounted the forensic platform. Brennan, being thoroughly engrossed in the remains she was examining, didn't hear him until he tapped her on the shoulder.

"It's ten thirty, Bones. Get your coat. We've got a funeral to go to."

Slightly disoriented, Brennan looked at him. He always managed to make her heart skip a beat when she saw him. She knew the biological reasons behind it, but it was slightly irritating to have it happen nearly every time.

Replacing a femur, she jotted down some notes and nodded to him. "Yes, right."

Peeling the gloves from her hands and removing her lab coat, she grabbed her coat and bag, and followed Booth out of the building.

~~ BONES ~~

The funeral consisted of them and the minister. She'd chosen a simple coffin, and the flowers that Maggie had arranged were a beautiful tribute.

Booth put his arm around her shoulder as the minister concluded the service and the coffin was lowered into the ground. "You okay, Bones?"

She turned to him clear eyed. "Yes. I just needed to acknowledge his life, and his death I guess."

"You did a good thing here, Temperance," he said as they walked back to the car.

Looking up at him she asked, "Balancing the tables?"

Booth grinned. "That's balancing the scales, Bones. And yes, you balanced the scales quite nicely." He hugged her to his side. _Damn, I so love this woman_, he thought.


	9. CHAPTER 8: BRENNAN’S BOUQUET

As always a big thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

Hope you enjoy. Reviews are eagerly awaited. Please no flames.

Thanks also to the constant readers, especially those who review.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: BRENNAN'S BOUQUET**

Days turned into weeks, and Booth and Brennan barely had enough time to greet each other on the odd occasion. If it wasn't Booth being called away on a case, it was Brennan being asked to identify remains in another part of the country. Both were frustrated by the constant interruption into their fledgling relationship. A relationship that hadn't really gone past acknowledging that they both agreed they wanted to engage in one.

Brennan had finally had enough. She called into Flowered-Up, the florist Booth had used when sending her flowers, and having done her research, she ordered a simple bouquet of flowers made up of Ambrosia, Jonquil and Lily of the Valley. Along with the flowers she sent a card saying, 'Be at CityZen at 7 tonight. Dress up.', and had it delivered to his office at the FBI.

It was only after a few hours that she realised that it probably wasn't going to do much good for his 'tough-guy' image, to be sent a bouquet of flowers. Then she reasoned that they hadn't really seen each other for such a long time and when he figured out their meaning, he really wouldn't mind too much.

~~ BONES ~~

It was just after lunch when Booth was interrupted by Agent Charlie Burns knocking on his door with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"Geez Charlie, I know we've known each other for a while now, but I really don't need the flowers."

"Wow, what a comedian. These were delivered downstairs. Got a secret admirer, Booth?" Charlie asked handing the flowers to Booth.

A smile started to creep across his face, but he quickly wiped it away. "Must be a show of appreciation from a thankful lady that I've saved along the line," Booth said, knowing exactly who they were from.

Charlie grunted in return before backing out and closing the door behind him. Booth took the envelope from the middle of the bunch, while booting up his computer. "CityZen, huh Bones? Fancy. Oh boy, am I looking forward to tonight," he mumbled to himself as he typed in 'flower meanings'.

Scrolling through the meanings of flowers on the first web site he opened, Booth realised that he had no idea what flowers they even were. Sighing heavily he opened another window to show him images and typed in 'flowers'. A multitude of flowers popped up. There were dozens of colours, sizes and types. Patiently he scrolled through the multitude of images until he found the three that made up the bunch he'd received.

Ambrosia. He looked up the meaning of the name on the other web site. _'AMBROSIA – Your Love is Given Back/Returned'_, it read. She'd already told him she loved him, so he knew his feelings were returned, but Booth's heart still skipped a beat or two. Next was the Jonquil. _'JONQUIL – Love Me, Affection Returned, Desire, Sympathy, Desire for Affection Returned'_. It was again a sentiment that had been acknowledged, but the addition of 'desire' caused his heart to continue it's erratic beating. He took a few deep breaths before looking up the final flower, lily of the valley. It's meaning nearly gave him a heart attack. _'LILY OF THE VALLEY – Sweetness, Tears of the Virgin Mary, Return to Happiness, Humility, You've Made My Life Complete, beauty, gaiety'_.

"Oh shit. Wow." He was rendered speechless, and spent the rest of the day in a daze at the message he'd received from her.

~~ BONES ~~

Brennan grabbed Angela's arm. "I need your help."

The artist turned from her work. "Sure Sweetie, what's up?"

Keeping her voice low, Brennan said, "I need your help shopping for a date tonight."

Angela raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Who's the lucky man?"

"Booth, who else?"

"Oooh, he finally asked you out!" Angela gave her friend an impulsive hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Brennan smiled shyly. "Actually, I asked him out."

"You go, girl!"

They left the forensic platform together. While Angela collected her things, Brennan stopped by Cam's office. "Excuse me, Dr. Saroyan?"

Cam looked up. "What can I do for you, Dr. Brennan?"

"I'm going to be taking the rest of the day off and I'll be borrowing Angela, too. I'll make up the time later."

A look of concern appeared on Cam's face. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes, I just need to take care of a few personal matters."

Not really pleased about it, but knowing that her top forensic anthropologist would make up the time ten times over, Cam nodded her assent. "Okay. I'll see you in here Monday."

"Thank you, Dr. Saroyan."

Brennan headed for the exit where Angela was waiting for her.

"So, where to, Sweetie?"

"I have no idea. You're the expert at these sort of things."

Angela's smile broadened. "I know exactly where to go."

~~ BONES ~~

An hour later, they drew up in front of Coup De Foudre, a lingerie store specialising in European brands. Even though she was shopping for herself, Brennan was utterly bored by the half-hour of browsing that followed. Finally, with Angela's help, she settled for a black Chantelle Chantilly garter belt with matching black stockings and a raspberry Jonquil Gina chemise, should things get to the bedroom later that day.

"What about a dress?" Angela asked as they entered Brennan's apartment.

"The dress is no problem," Brennan replied going to her wardrobe. Digging through a number of casual outfits, she finally pulled out a garment still covered in a dry-cleaning bag.

Opening the bag, she pulled out the little black dress that Booth had bought 'Roxy' in Las Vegas over a year ago.

Angela let out a low whistle. "Whoa, Sweetie. When did you get this little number?"

Brennan blushed a little. "Booth bought it for me."

Looking surprised, Angela asked, "When did that happen?"

"On that case we had in Las Vegas. I went undercover as his girlfriend and…well, he picked this out."

Smiling broadly, Angela said, "This was what he said hot about, isn't it?"

Barely loud enough to hear, Brennan answered, "Yes, when he was zipping me up."

"Maybe tonight he can _unzip_ it," Angela said with an impish grin.

When Brennan had finished dressing, she made her way into the lounge-room. Angela looked up from the forensic magazine she'd been flicking through. A huge smile spread across her face.

"Wow, Sweetie!" You look absolutely _hot!_" Angela got up and walked around her friend, taking in the whole picture. "Booth brought this for you?"

Brennan nodded. "Yeah, I'd picked out something that was not the image he wanted. He said something about 'having enough Bibles and to try next door'? I don't know what that means, but he said that I should be the hot schoolteacher that makes the boys crazy. Apparently, I looked like the spinster kind who lives with her sister. Then he handed me this dress, along with these shoes."

Angela assessed the overall effect of the outfit that Booth had picked out for Brennan. _'That__ man has excellent taste in clothes,'_ she thought. _'And women. I'm so happy for her.'_

"I'm so happy for you," she said aloud, giving her friend a hug. "Now go out, and get your g-man, stud muffin."

~~ BONES ~~

Brennan entered CityZen at a little past seven. She'd seen Booth's car in the parking lot and now looked around the room to find him.

Booth was seated at a table for two near the rear of the restaurant. He looked up and their eyes met across the crowded room. The 'old black magic' that Booth had mentioned all those years ago, passed between them.

Magic, especially of that variety, was a premise that Brennan had never ascribed to, until that very moment. The maître'd asked her name and then guided her to the table, where Booth was seated. As she stopped at the table Booth quickly rose and pulled her chair out for her.

"Hi," she said, blushing endearingly.

A little colour came to Booth's cheeks as he responded in kind. "Hi."

Beyond the initial greeting, the conversation stalled. It was awkward to the point where Brennan was beginning to regret coming.

Finally, Booth started. "Thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful."

"I'm sorry if you were tormented for having flowers sent to you at your office," she said, nursing the glass of wine that had been bought by their waiter some time ago.

Booth waved it off. "No one said anything. I told Burns it must've come from a grateful lady whose life I'd saved."

Brennan gave him a slow seductive blink, and fixed her shining sapphire blue eyes on his. "You have saved me. You've opened up a whole new life for me by letting me be your partner."

"Bones, believe me, the pleasure's been mine. Well, most of the time," he added, flashing the grin he reserved for her alone.

The colour rose in her cheeks again. "Well, you haven't exactly been a bucket of monkeys, you know."

Booth laughed aloud. "Damn, I love you."

"What?" she asked, realising she must have mangled an expression again.

"It's a _barrel_ of monkeys Bones." His expression sobered. "I looked up the meanings of those flowers. There were a lot of 'em. Which ones did you want to get across?"

Leaning across the table she said, "Your love is returned, you've made my life complete, and…" Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. "…Desire."


	10. CHAPTER 9: THE DATE

Thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise. This story wouldn't have been written without her help and advise.

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

Please read and enjoy. Reviews are eagerly awaited. Please no flames.

Also a very big thank you to those who have read, and especially those who took the time to review.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: THE DATE**

Booth spent a few minutes trying to clear the last mouthful of food from his throat and the dinner continued in a stilted manner. At times the conversation flowed naturally, but there were awkward silences when the atmosphere at their table was rather strained and decidedly uncomfortable. But the flowers, and their meaning, were not mentioned again.

Halfway through dessert, Brennan looked at Booth who was enjoying his apple cobbler. "So I'm thinking that since we've agreed that we want this relationship, we should have sex tonight," she stated in her usual blunt manner.

For the second time that night, Booth almost choked to death. He was used to Brennan's lack of subtlety, but not while they were eating, and certainly not about sex.

Finally clearing his airway, Booth regarded the woman he loved. "That's not the best segue way into that subject, Bones."

"What? Why? Don't you _want_ to have sex with me?"

"No, I don't."

Hurt flashed across her face.

Reaching across the table, Booth took her slender hand in his. "Bones, what I want most in the world is to make love to you. I don't want anything we engage in together to be reduced to the simple act of sex. Remember what I said about role playing, fetishes and crappy sex?"

Bones nodded.

"Well," Booth continued. "I don't want to have anything like that with you. As corny as it sounds, I want us to become one."

"But…"

Booth cut her off. "I know it's against the laws of physics, but if you'll remember, I also won that argument. You mean so much more to me than a roll in the hay, or a passing fancy. I don't want what we have to be reduced to something as crude as sex."

Brennan sat back in her chair and smiled. "Okay then, you're right."

Looking at her with eyes that were as dark as the chocolatety dessert she was enjoying Booth said, "Yeah Bones, I know I am."

~~ BONES ~~

Having finished their meal, Booth and Brennan left the restaurant and headed toward the parking lot.

"Your place or mine?" Brennan asked.

Booth chuckled. "Boy, is that a cliché."

Brennan gave him a quizzical look. "It's one of the oldest most used lines in history. I bet even your Ice Age, Iron Age or whatever cultures used that one."

"We can't be sure of that because there are no written histories of those people. In fact, the written history of the world didn't really start until…"

Booth stopped her with a kiss that became very intense very fast. Finally pulling away, Booth smiled at the disorientated look on Brennan's face. "I gotta remember that as a good way to stop you rambling."

It took a few moments for Brennan to regain her equilibrium. Clearing her throat she said, "You didn't answer my question."

Leading the way to her car, Booth said, "Your place. That way, you can't run in the morning if you suddenly think this is a huge mistake."

Brennan was a split second from replying when she recognised the gleam of humour in his eyes. "You won't be able to go anywhere in the morning either. We're taking my car," she said, taking the keys from her purse.

~~ BONES ~~

Although they had both agreed that tonight they would consummate their relationship, Brennan was uncharacteristically nervous.

As she drove them home, Brennan catalogued the physical changes her body was going through. Epinephrine was being released at an increased rate, resulting in heightened arousal. Her palms were sweating. Her breathing had increased, along with her heart rate. The re-routing of blood from her stomach, to her muscles were causing the fluttering feeling in her belly. She knew there was a colloquial term for it. Maybe it was the feeling of 'moths' in her stomach. She was almost sure that was right.

Vasocongestion, the increase of blood-flow to her sexual organs, was also becoming progressively more noticeable. The surge of blood to her breasts was causing them to ache and there was a considerable increase of moisture between her legs. Neuromuscular tension was making her nerve endings and muscles feel as though they were humming. She was ever so glad they were driving at night and Booth was unaware of the flush that was warming her entire body.

Brennan squirmed with her increasing discomfort. Booth glanced at her as he squirmed in his own seat. Hoping to clear some of the nervous tension, he leaned over and turned on the radio to find some relaxing music.

The sound of frenzied drums preceded a male and female duet. Booth couldn't quite place the familiar tune until he heard the lyrics. _"…We're gonna go all the way, and tonight's the night…"_

Quickly glancing over to his partner, Booth did indeed see 'paradise by the dashboard light'. Maybe not quite the way Meatloaf had meant, but 'his' Bones was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever known and _the_ most beautiful woman he had ever planned on having a relationship with.

Before the lyrics could be repeated, he changed the station.

"…_I was made for loving you baby, you were made for loving me…"_

_Damn,_ Booth thought. _Two similar songs, within the same time frame, on different stations. What were the odds? _

This time however, it was Bones who changed the station. There had to be something relaxing.

A very pop-like beat came from the speakers, with electric guitar strains coming to the fore. Ah, the eighties! Such a relatively uncomplicated age made even more so by youth.

"…_Touch me, touch me, I wanna feel your body. Your heartbeat next to mine…"_

This time they both reached for the station button. Hands collided and a few more strains of the song came through the speakers. _"…Touch me, touch me, now!"_

They were indeed touching, but not in quite the way Samantha Fox was singing about.

Brennan let Booth search for a new station. The country-style twang of a guitar came from the speakers. They turned to each other with a smile. Finally, something a little less risqué.

"_I don't know who you think you are, but before the night is through. I wanna do bad things with you."_

"What the hell?" Booth muttered, while reaching to search for yet another station. There had to be something out there a little less provocative.

Funky electronic music with a decent bass line came from the speakers. _"…But most of all, sex is something that we should do. Sex is something for me and you."_

"Oh for crying out loud isn't there a single station out there not playing smut tonight?" Booth cried, switching the radio off.

He took a deep breath. "Even the radio agrees with us. If we weren't ready before…"

In a soft, low voice Brennan cut him off. "I've been ready for quite some time."

"What?" Booth asked.

_Damn. Feign ignorance._ "What?" she asked in return.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Just commenting on how odd it was with the songs."

Booth narrowed his eyes. He was pretty sure that wasn't what she'd said, but he wasn't going to argue now. They'd just pulled into Brennan's parking spot.

~~ BONES ~~

Brennan turned to him. "So, here we are."

Booth nodded. "Yep, here were are."

But neither of them made a move to get out until the sudden harsh squawking of a distant car alarm broke the spell. They headed for the lobby of Brennan's building.

As they stepped into the elevator, Brennan turned to Booth. "So…"

Booth interrupted. "Listen, I want you to be one hundred percent sure of this. Nothing has to happen tonight. We've agreed to a relationship, so nothing has to be rushed."

Brennan's body was still sending her urgent messages to get up to her apartment and quell the rush of hormones that were sending her senses haywire. However, there was a stupid niggling little seed. "I know Booth, I want to. I really do. It's just such a big step, making that definitive decision to cross 'the line'."

The elevator doors opened, they stepped out and headed toward her door. Stopping for a moment before fishing her keys from her purse, Booth cupped Brennan's face and kissed her lightly. "We're both sure, and l love you. But if you have ANY reservations, for whatever reason, even if you think it's stupid, please tell me. We can leave it for another time."

Leaning in, she returned the kiss. She found her keys and opened the door.

"Thank you for being so understanding."

* * *

_Songs in order:-_

_Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf_

_I Was Made For Lovin' You - Kiss_

_Touch Me - Samantha Fox _

_Bad Things - Jace Everett_

_I Want Your Sex - George Michael_


	11. EPILOGUE: THE FINAL BOUQUET

Thanks to MoonlightGardenias for her great beta work, encouragement and advise. I really couldn't have written this story without her. And a special thanks to Dave and Gregg, who have also been instrumental in this story being written – and finished

These characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Fox, Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, et al.

I would also like to send out a final thank you to all those who have been kind enough to review, they really do fuel the creative process. Thanks also to those who have added this story to their favourites list, and a humble thanks to those who have added me to their favourite author list.

And now on to the final instalment of 'Say It With Flowers', I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

**EPILOGUE: THE FINAL BOUQUET**

A low rumble of thunder woke Brennan. It was early morning and the room was in semi-darkness. She glanced towards the window as a wave of heavy rain lashed the glass. Lightning flashed suddenly and for that instant, the dimly lit room sprang into harsh relief.

The weather, that a few weeks ago had made her feel helpless and disheartened, now had almost the opposite effect on her, instead making her feel warm and tranquil.

The other side of the bed was empty, but a warm place remained. For a moment, she thought that Booth had left, but the flushing of the toilet assured her that she was not alone.

Another flash of lightning lit up her room, and she fell back into the childhood practice of counting till the rumble of thunder, to work out how far away the storm front was.

Booth's voice came from the doorway. "About a mile."

Brennan cleared her throat. "Actually, it's hard to determine exactly how far it is because the thunderstorm is surrounding us, and the front has already moved over. Plus which, the lightning might not have come from the thunderhead that produced the thunder, which is caused…"

By this time Booth had reached the bed, and silenced her with a searing kiss. "Can't think of a better way to shut you up," he said as they broke apart, both breathing more heavily than before.

As Booth climbed back into bed with her, Brennan once again had to admire his symmetry; he truly was a fine alpha-male specimen. She turned on her side to face him fully.

"What are you thinking, Bones?" Booth asked, pushing a strand of hair from her face and caressing her cheek.

"Good things," she replied, moving closer to him.

"Like…" he queried.

"Like how superb you look naked," she replied, kissing him softly.

He pulled back. "And…" he pressed.

"And how good you've made me feel for the past thirty-six hours."

Booth smiled. "Right back at you," he replied, kissing her lightly.

Bones, however, was in the mood for another round of lovemaking and pulled him close for a more searing kiss. Her hands were re-familiarising themselves with his toned chest and stomach when the phone rang.

"What the hell?" Booth mumbled, as Bones' talented fingers began to play with his burgeoning erection.

"Ignore it," Bones mumbled, between kisses that set his skin on fire.

After a few more rings, the phone fell silent.

"See," Bones said. "Must've been a wrong number."

She grazed his nipples with her teeth and Booth moaned.

"Damn Bones," he hissed.

Brennan had just begun trailing a line of kissed down his mid-line when the phone started ringing again. She groaned in frustration as she left her ministrations and picked up the receiver.

"What?" she asked rudely.

Angela's voice came down the line. "Well, good morning to you too, Sweetie."

Brennan sighed and looked at the bedside clock. "Angela, it's five-thirty in the morning. And it's Sunday. What the hell is so important?"

"Bren, you haven't been heard from for over thirty-six hours."

"That's because I've been rather busy," Brennan said with exaggerated patience.

There was a squeal over the phone that even Booth heard. _Angela,_ Brennan mouthed as Booth smiled. He knew Brennan would have no peace until she divulged all, so he threw back the blankets and got dressed.

Leaning over to her, he kissed her lightly and whispered, "I'm going to get some fresh pastries from the bakery. I'll be back soon."

Brennan nodded, and regret showed on her face as he left the room. She was going to have to talk to Angela about her lousy timing, and how one didn't call at five-thirty in the morning, unless it was a life-or-death emergency.

"Sweetie!?"

"Huh? What?" Brennan asked as her attention was pulled back to the receiver in her hand.

"What have you been doing for the past thirty-six hours?"

Brennan laughed a little self-consciously. "Ange, it's kind of private."

There was a sharp exhale on the other end of the line. "Bren, it's been three years in coming. That's a long…long time considering I told you to go for it within a month of you guys being partnered. You finally do something, no, HE finally does something, and for the past few months, my patience has been tested even further. Now you FINALLY go on a date, and I don't hear from you for one and a half days. My patience will only stretch so far. Now spill! What happened?"

Brennan sighed at Angela's tirade and took a deep breath to steel herself against the reaction she knew she was going to get.

"Well," she drew the word out. "We haven't really left the apartment since coming home Friday night, and barely left the bedroom, except for meals and using the bathroom. Oh, and may I remind you that Booth was seeing someone when we were first partnered," she finished, needing to defend herself against not doing 'something' from the start of their relationship.

The expected squeal sounded through the receiver. "Oh Sweetie, that's fantastic! Did you knock his eyes out with that sexy lingerie that we bought?"

"Why would I want to knock his eyes out?"

There was a patient sigh at the other end of the line. "It's just an expression, Sweetie. How is he in bed? How big is he? Did you orgasm? What are his kisses like? Is his body as hot out of clothes as it is in?"

Brennan took her chance to cut in as Angela paused for breath. "Ange, slow down. It was fantastic. All of it. Although…" she hesitated a little too long allowing her friend to jump back in to the questions.

"What? What happened? What did you do?" Angela demanded.

"Relax. It wasn't anything, just a misunderstanding. And how do you know it was my fault anyway?"

Brennan heard a, "Please," through the line, even as she was still speaking.

"We'd just arrived back at my apartment after the date, and…"

**_FLASHBACK_**

He'd headed toward the kitchen while she went to 'change into something more comfortable', which he had assumed would be an old t-shirt and pair of tracksuit pants.

The glass of water he was holding almost fell from his hand, and the water he'd been sipping formed a fine spray when it left his mouth as he turned to the clearing of her throat.

'His' Bones was standing before him in a very short, red, teddy-style gown with her black stockings and heels still on. The length of the gown also allowed him to see that her stockings were being held up with a garter-belt.

"Whoa, Bones?!"

Brennan smiled at the look on his face, let alone the remnant of water that covered his chin and dress shirt. "So I'm guessing you like it then?"

Booth swallowed heavily. The semi-erection he'd been sporting most of the night came to full attention in record time. "But at the door, you said…"

"I said, 'Thank you for understanding.' And you've been most understanding all night long, for which I am very grateful. You haven't pressured me in anyway, instead giving me the freedom to reach this place on my own. I wouldn't miss this for the world, Booth. We've both been waiting long enough, and I'm more than ready to consummate this relationship. How about you?" she asked the last openly staring at the very noticeable bulge in the front of his pants.

"Ah, yeah…waiting…long enough…"

His tongue-tied falterings made her smile even more, and she closed the distance between them. Booth's arms circled her waist and pulled her close. "Hey," he murmured gently into her ear, "I meant what I said, and I know we discussed all this when we agreed to start a more personal relationship, but this only has to go as fast, or slow as you're comfortable with."

"I was never one to take things slow really," Bones answered. "I've never been one to be nervous about a sexual encounter."

Brennan saw the flash of hurt and anger in his eyes. For a moment she had no idea what she'd said to cause that reaction from him.

"Is that all this is to you? An encounter?" Booth asked, pulling back.

"No! No, that's not what I meant." She sighed in frustration. "I don't know how to explain this." She sighed again, this time in anger at having to expose an irrational feeling; a feeling she could neither qualify or quantify. "I'm very…insecure…about what's happening."

"But…"

Brennan hushed Booth with a glare. "I know, 'We'll take it as slow as I need.', but I don't WANT to stop or slow down. This is…it's just the first encounter that's going to continue into a longer _lasting _relationship." The last was said in almost a whisper that Booth had to really strain to hear.

"Lasting, huh?" Booth asked softly, with a smile.

A blush spread across her face and she ducked her head. "Yeah."

Booth lifted her head with a finger under her chin. She looked into his eyes, marvelling at the love and acceptance she saw there.

Brennan held his gaze as they drew closer together. All the anticipation from the past three years, and especially the last few weeks, was culminating in this moment. As their lips touched, her mind flashed back to their brief moment under the mistletoe a few months previously.

As Booth deepened the kiss, all comparisons flew out of the window. As the need for air became paramount, they drew apart, both breathing heavily.

Brennan resisted her natural urge to shove Booth up against a wall and make short work of removing his clothes and let him take her right there.

Normally she was uninhibited and wild, but she wanted this night to be special and she had a feeling Booth would be uncomfortable with her usual 'style'. So instead she took his hand and led him into her bedroom.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

"…And he proceeded to make love to me," Bones finished.

"Oh Sweetie, you're lucky he's so understanding," Angela said, relief sounding clearly in her voice.

"Yeah, I know."

There was a moment of silence as Angela digested the information.

"So," she started again. "How did you seduce him?"

"Angela, we were both more than ready to take this step. All I had to do was wear that chemise we bought."

She could almost hear Angela's profound disappointment.

"However," Bones continued, before her friend could voice her. "I did give him a little strip show before we made love."

**_FLASHBACK_**

With the door now closed, Brennan moved toward the bed. She lifted her left foot to Booth's waist and lightly touched his erection through his pants before planting her foot on his stomach.

Finally getting the idea, Booth reached for her shoe and slipped it off. Brennan lowered her leg, making sure to caress his erection again, this time harder, with her stockinged foot.

Brennan repeated the act with her right foot, before closing the gap between them and helping him to remove his jacket and damp shirt. She ran her hands down his smooth and well-defined muscular chest and stomach, grinning as she felt the muscles jump beneath her fingers as she dipped below the waistband of his trousers, to delve into his boxers and caress him gently.

"Whoa, keep doing that, and I'll do something I haven't done since I was a teenager," Booth said as he removed her hands. "I've been wanting this for so long that I'm on a bit of a hair trigger," he explained, removing his trousers.

Brennan smiled widely as she saw his boxers.

Booth looked down, instantly deflating somewhat. "What's wrong?"

"You have little skeletons all over your underwear," she said, trying not to laugh.

He blushed a little. "I bought them 'cause they remind me of you," he said, sounding hurt.

"I don't know whether to find that flattering or weird," she replied, hooking her fingers into the waistband and carefully removing them.

"Oh, you should definitely find it flattering," he replied as she stood up again.

Drawing her close, he claimed her lips in a burning kiss.

"I think someone's a little overdressed," he said with a wink.

"Well then, I guess you should help me with that," she replied.

Smiling widely, Booth said, "It would be my pleasure."

Reaching out, he pushed the straps of her gown off her shoulders, massaging them before bending forward to kiss her neck. Gliding his hands down the smooth material, he came to the hem and ran his hands up her bare flesh, taking the chemise up with them. As he reached her chest, he let his hands wander to the front, and circled her straining nipples with his thumbs.

Booth smiled as she moaned with pleasure. He took the opportunity to lean in and capture one swollen tip between his lips, and worry it with his tongue. Her moans grew louder, and he switched to take the other nipple in his mouth and give it the same treatment.

Removing his mouth, he grinned slightly as he heard a slight whimper coming from Bones, at the loss of his ministrations. Nudging her arms up, he drew the chemise over her head and threw it on to the bed.

Booth took a moment to take in the beauty of 'his' Bones, almost naked. Her chest was heaving, a flush of excitement colouring it a becoming shade of pink. As his gaze returned to her face, he saw her hooded expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Bones hesitated, "No one's ever looked at me like that before."

Confusion clouded Booth's eyes. "Looked at you like what?"

Shrugging, she said with uncertainty, "I don't know how to explain it. You know I'm not that good at reading people."

"Um, the look I was giving you, was one of admiration, love and lust," Booth said as he bought her close for a hug that was definitely NOT a 'guy' hug. Pulling back, he saw tears in her eyes. "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you."

She shook her head and replied, "No, I'm not upset. Well, maybe a little. I guess I've never really had anyone who's voiced those feelings before."

"It's a good thing, Bones. Trust me. Now, let's see what we can do about removing the rest of your clothes," he said, trailing his hands down her sides to unclip her left stocking to slide it down her leg, then running his hands up her right leg, to unclip the other side, and slide it off.

With one hand on each leg, he ran them up to her waist and unhooked her garter belt, throwing it the same way as her chemise, before lowering her panties. He inhaled deeply, memorising her scent as he came to his feet and reclaimed her lips.

Bones moaned, "Mmmm, Seeley!"

Booth pulled back.

She looked at him. "I'm sorry. Shouldn't I call you that?"

"No, it's fine. It's just that you've never called me by my given name before."

Brennan kissed him deeply. "That's because we've never been intimate before."

Booth inclined his head slightly in agreement. "That's true."

**_END FLASHBACK_**

There was a veritable scream on the other end of the line as Brennan finished the rather abridged version of what had happened.

"Oh Sweetie, I'm so happy."

"Yeah well, now that you've been bought up to speed, and stopped what was going to be another incredible round of sex, I'll be hanging up, and seeing whether Booth's back yet. He was going to get something for breakfast," she added before her friend could ask.

"Isn't it too early for any place to be open?" Angela asked.

"I'm sure he's got friends everywhere that are happy to serve him early," Brennan replied knowing how Booth was familiar with so many people. "Good-bye, Angela. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for your concern, but next time, could you please call at a later hour?"

Angela chuckled. "Sure Sweetie. Enjoy the rest of your day," she finished, hanging up.

Brennan got out of bed, and looked at the time. They'd been talking for almost an hour. She hadn't heard Booth return yet, so she took the opportunity to have a quick shower.

~~ BONES ~~

Twenty minutes later, and feeling refreshed, Brennan headed toward her kitchen.

Booth's back was to her, as he was finishing brewing an amazingly aromatic coffee. Her eyes were then drawn to the table where a most incredible meal had been set up. Booth turned as she was taking in the layout.

"Breakfast is served," he said, bringing the steaming pot to the table.

He pulled out a chair for her, pushing it in gently as she sat. "Wait here. I have to give you something."

Her pulse increased as she heard him in the lounge room. Coming back to the table, he had his hand behind his back. Kissing her lightly, he bought his hand around with a flourish. A bouquet daffodils and daisies was presented to her. Brennan smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Booth. It's all so wonderful. Where did you get the fresh fruit and flowers? Not to mention the pastries. It's Sunday, and nothing's open for at least another two hours."

Pouring her a cup of coffee, he answered, "Well, the flowers and fruit came from the markets, which were just finishing when I got there, and the pastries, I know one of the bakers around here very well, and he lets me buy early if I want too. It's also where I got the hazelnut coffee, freshly ground."

"Wow," was all she could manage.

After a few moments, Booth could tell something was wrong.

"Bones, are you alright?"

She shook her head a little. "I'm terrified, Seeley," she choked out. "Terrified of loving someone so much…then having them leave."

"Temperance, I promise with all of my being, that I will NEVER leave you. I'm not your parents, I'm not Russ. Short of death, and even that I'll fight tooth and nail…"

Brennan's brow furrowed and Booth smiled a little. "Just an expression, Bones. It means that I will do EVERYTHING in my power so you'll never be alone again. And know this…"

Brennan's gaze had dropped, he leaned over and raised her head with a familiar finger under her chin. "Even if I should die, I love you! Always!"

"But when you're dead…"

He used the same finger to hush her. "Yes, I know what you believe, but **I **believe that somehow I'll still be around. I will ALWAYS love you, even in death."

Tears had begun to flow down her cheeks. "I love you too, Seeley Booth. You have worked your way into my life and given me a heart…euphemistically speaking, of course."

Booth inclined his head with a smile. "I got it, Bones."

Brennan took a deep breath, then continued, "You have taught me so much, but most of all you've helped me be brave enough to love again. Thank you."

Wiping away her tears, he said, "Bones, it's been worth every minute, and I know it'll be worth OUR future."

The End.


End file.
